Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons^™

Clusters Of Individuals Experiences Form A Continuum Of Persistent Non-Symbolic Experiences In Adults, Jeffery A. Martin

CONSCIOUSNESS: Ideas and Research for the Twenty-First Century

Persistent forms of nondual awareness, enlightenment, mystical experience, and so forth (Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience) have been reported since antiquity. Though sporadic research has been performed on these experiences, the scientific literature has yet to report a large-scale cognitive psychology study of this population. Method: Assessment of the subjective experience of 319 adult participants reporting persistent non-symbolic experience was undertaken using 6-12 hour semi-structured interviews and evaluated using grounded theory and thematic analysis. Results: Five core, consistent categories of change were uncovered: sense-of-self, cognition, affect, perception, and memory. Participants’ reports formed phenomenological groups in which the types of change …

Rela/P65 Blocks Histone Deacetylase-3 Neurotoxicity And Protects Neurons Against Neuronal Death Induced By Polyq-Expanded Huntingtin And Ataxin-1 In A P65 Phospho S276 Dependent Manner, Yiyu Zhang

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases have a large negative impact to human society. Symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases includes memory loss, impaired recognition, motor dysfunction due to dysregulated neuronal loss in different brain regions. However, the neurobiological basis of these brain diseases is not fully understood and there are no cures or effective treatments. Polyglutamine (Poly-Q) disorders is a class of neurodegenerative diseases that are caused by polyglutamine expansion within the protein coding regions of specific genes. Huntington’s disease (HD), Spinal Cerebellar Ataxia Type 1 (SCA1) and Spinal Cerebellar Ataxia Type 3 (SCA3) are three common diseases among Poly-Q disorders. To better understand the …

Transcriptome Analyses In Bv2 Microglial Cells Following Treatment With Amino-Terminal Fragments Of Apolipoprotein E, Tanner B. Pollock, Giovan N. Cholico, Tarun Suresh, Erica S. Stewart, Madyson M. Mccarthy, Troy T. Rohn

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite the fact that harboring the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) allele represents the single greatest risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the exact mechanism by which ApoE4 contributes to disease progression remains unknown. Recently, we demonstrated that a 151 amino-terminal fragment of ApoE4 (nApoE4_1–151) localizes within the nucleus of microglia in the human AD brain and traffics to the nucleus causing toxicity in BV2 microglia cells. In the present study, we examined in detail what genes may be affected following treatment by nApoE4_1–151. Transcriptome analyses in BV2 microglial cells following sublethal treatment with nApoE4 …

Nutraceutical Potential For Alzheimer's Disease Treatment, Alex Gewecke

Undergraduate Research Journal

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive disorder involving buildup of excessive amounts of proteins such as beta amyloid in the brain that leads to memory loss, inability to perform daily functions, and an early death. By 2060, the number of cases is forecast to nearly triple current numbers. Age is the primary risk factor for AD and no new drugs have been approved since 2003. Nutraceuticals, a broad category of substances that can be utilized for both medicinal and nutritional purposes may be able to help, which is why they are being more widely researched. Overall, a number of attempts …

Effects Of Prenatal Exposure To Phenobarbital On Verbal Abilities In School-Aged Children, Jocelyn M. Lutes

Graduate Masters Theses

Phenobarbital is one of the oldest medications used for the treatment of epilepsy. Although its use has declined in many developed nations, phenobarbital is still a first-line treatment in several developing countries across the globe. If possible, current American Academy of Neurology guidelines advise against the use of phenobarbital during pregnancy due to an increased risk for structural malformations. However, less is known about the risk that prenatal exposure to phenobarbital poses to the cognitive and behavioral development of the child. Adams et al (in progress) have shown that, in comparison to demographically matched controls, children prenatally exposed to phenobarbital …

Cellular And Circuit Properties Of Slow Oscillations In The Thalamic Reticular Nucleus, John O'Malley

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

During sleep, neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) generate distinct types of oscillatory activity. While the reciprocal synaptic circuits between TRN and sensory thalamic nuclei underlie the generation of sleep spindles, the mechanisms regulating slow (<1 >Hz) forms of thalamic oscillations are poorly understood. Under in vitro conditions, in the absence of synaptic inputs, TRN neurons can generate slow oscillations in a cell-intrinsic manner. Activation of postsynaptic Group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) leads to long-lasting plateau potentials thought to be mediated by both T-type calcium currents and calcium-activated nonselective cation currents (I_CAN). However, the identity of …

Astrocytes Rescue Neuronal Health After Cisplatin Treatment Through Mitochondrial Transfer., Krystal English, Krystal English

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Abstract

Astrocytes rescue neuronal health after cisplatin treatment through mitochondrial transfer.

Author: Krystal English

Advisory Professor: Dr. Cobi J. Heijnen, Ph.D.

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairments are associated with neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction. Cisplatin, a commonly used chemotherapeutic, induces neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo and in vitro. Astrocytes are key players in supporting neuronal development, synaptogenesis, axonal growth, metabolism and, potentially, mitochondrial health. We tested the hypothesis that astrocytes transfer healthy mitochondria to neurons after cisplatin treatment to restore neuronal health.

We used an in vitro system in which astrocytes with Mito-mCherry-labeled mitochondria were co-cultured with primary cortical neurons or neuronal stem …

Aging Lowers Pex5 Levels In Cortical Neurons In Male And Female Mouse Brains, Ndidi-Ese Uzor

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Peroxisomes are small organelles with critical functions: lipid synthesis, breakdown of reactive oxygen species by antioxidant enzymes, and amino acid degradation. In the brain, peroxisomal lipids make up the myelin sheath. Brain peroxisomal dysfunction leads to lipid disruption or neurological consequences if key peroxisomal proteins are absent. Still, it is unclear how peroxisomes are affected in neurodegenerative diseases and in normal brain aging. This work examines peroxisomal markers in three settings: 1) in a neuronal and 2) animal model of Huntington disease (HD), where mutant huntingtin (mHtt), the causative protein in Huntington disease pathogenesis is expressed, and 3) in the …

The Role Of Skeletal Muscle-Synthesized Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor In The Maintenance Of Motor Neuron Mitochondrial Populations, Mikel Cawley

All NMU Master's Theses

Mitochondria are essential for the high energy demands of the neuromuscular junction and, as a consequence, leave motorneurons susceptible to dysfunction. A potential origin of progressive pathology may be a reduction in brain-derived neurotrophic-factor (BDNF) signaling at the motor unit. We have shown that mice deficient in skeletal muscle-synthesized BDNF (msBDNF) demonstrate progressive motorneuron and muscle pathology at 120d. We hypothesize mitochondrial populations will be altered in motorneurons of msBDNF deficient-mice. At 117d, msBDNF deficient-mice received intramuscular injections of MitoTracker™ dye targeting the right gastrocnemius muscle. At 120d experimental groups underwent a gastrocnemius harvest or a sciatic nerve ligation protocol …

Elevated Cochlear Adenosine Causes Hearing Loss Via Adora2b Signaling, Jeanne Manalo

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Over 538 million people in the world have been diagnosed with hearing loss (HL). Current treatments for the most common type of HL, sensorineural HL, are limited to hearing aids and cochlear implants with no FDA-drugs available. The hearing process demands an abundance of ATP and HL is often attributed to a disruption in this metabolic energy currency. Patients who lack adenosine deaminase (ADA), the enzyme that irreversibly metabolizes adenosine, have high levels of adenosine that yield severe health problems, including HL; however, the pathogenic mechanisms behind HL and adenosine remain elusive. Our lab has found a HL phenotype in …

The Influence Of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation On Motor Function In Parkinson’S Disease, Lidio Lima De Albuquerque

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. PD is characterized by dopaminergic cell loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta, which leads to a reduction in dopamine in the striatum. These physiological mechanisms lead to a number of motor impairments such as bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, and postural instability that severely limit the ability of individuals with PD to perform many essential daily living activities. Although current pharmacological, surgical, and physical exercise treatment approaches are valuable they are either only mildly effective, expensive, or associated with a variety of side effects. Therefore, …

Axonal Regrowth Of Olfactory Sensory Neurons After Chemical Ablation And Removal Of Axonal Debris By Microglia, Rudy Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) are contained within the olfactory epithelium (OE) and are responsible for detecting odorant molecules in the air. The exposure of OSNs to the external environment is necessary for their function, but it also leaves them exposed to potentially harmful elements and thus results in a high turnover rate. Despite the high turnover, the olfactory sense is maintained throughout life through the division of a population of stem cells that produce new OSNs both during normal turnover and after an injury occurs in the OE. When new OSNs are born, they must extend axons from the OE …

Consider The Agent In The Arthropod, Nicolas Delon, Peter Cook, Gordon Bauer, Heidi Harley

Animal Sentience

Whether or not arthropods are sentient, they can have moral standing. Appeals to sentience are not necessary and retard progress in human treatment of other species, including invertebrates. Other increasingly well-documented aspects of invertebrate minds are pertinent to their welfare. Even if arthropods are not sentient, they can be agents whose goals—and therefore interests—can be frustrated. This kind of agency is sufficient for moral status and requires that we consider their welfare.

What Kind Of An Illusion Is The Illusion Of Self, Karsten J. Struhl

Comparative Philosophy

Both early and later forms of Buddhism developed a set of arguments to demonstrate that the self is an illusion. This article begins with a brief review of some of the arguments but then proceeds to show that these arguments are not themselves sufficient to dispel the illusion. It analyzes three ways in which the illusion of self manifests itself – as wish fulfillment, as a cognitive illusion, and as a phenomenal illusion (what might be called the “I” sense). With respect to this last, the article reviews some recent developments in cognitive neuropsychology and neuroscience to discuss the way …

Variations In Slow-Wave Eeg And Working Memory Deficits During Letter Number Sequencing Task Post-Concussion, Morgan Sotoloff

Neuroscience Presentations

Concussions are associated with various types of consequences, both short-term and long-term: ranging from acute symptomatology, resting protocols, return-to-play decisions, and the lingering effects that have been found to have significant impacts on cognitive processes and function in many individuals several months post-concussion. Previous research has demonstrated that certain dimensions of executive function are especially susceptible to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), specifically working memory and attention. Studies that have previously utilized electroencephalography (EEG), have found that increased very low frequency oscillations (VLFO) are associated with a disruption of goal-oriented activities, difficulties in cognition, hyperactivity, and inattention in concussed individuals …

Wild Mice With Different Social Network Sizes Vary In Brain Gene Expression, Patricia C. Lopes, Barbara König

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Appropriate social interactions influence animal fitness by impacting several processes, such as mating, territory defense, and offspring care. Many studies shedding light on the neurobiological underpinnings of social behavior have focused on nonapeptides (vasopressin, oxytocin, and homologues) and on sexual or parent-offspring interactions. Furthermore, animals have been studied under artificial laboratory conditions, where the consequences of behavioral responses may not be as critical as when expressed under natural environments, therefore obscuring certain physiological responses. We used automated recording of social interactions of wild house mice outside of the breeding season to detect individuals at both tails of a distribution …

Proceedings From The First Annual Society For Neurosports Conference, William R. Kochen

Journal for Sports Neuroscience

Proceedings from the First Annual Society for NeuroSports Conference

Brain Complexity, Sentience And Welfare, Donald M. Broom

Animal Sentience

Neither sentience nor moral standing is confined to animals with large or human-like brains. Invertebrates deserve moral consideration. Definition of terms clarifies the relationship between sentience and welfare. All animals have welfare but humans give more protection to sentient animals. Humans should be less human-centred.

Convergent Evolution Of Sentience?, Culum Brown Prof.

Animal Sentience

Mikhalevich & Powell make a compelling case that some invertebrates may be sentient and that our moral obligations in the context of welfare should hence extend to them. Although the case is similar to that made for fishes, there is one obvious difference in that examples of invertebrate sentience probably arose independently from vertebrate sentience. We have unequivocal proof that complex cognition arose multiple times over evolutionary history. Given that cognition is our best tool for indirectly quantifying sentience, it seems highly likely that this multiple polygenesis may also have occurred for sentience. In acknowledging this, we must accept that …

Minds, Morality And Midgies, Brian Key, Deborah Brown

Animal Sentience

Mikhalevich & Powell argue that the exclusion of the vast majority of arthropods from moral standing is unwarranted, particularly given the purported evidence for cognition and sentience in these organisms. The implied association between consciousness and moral standing is questionable and their assumption that rich forms of cognition and flexible behavior are dependent on phenomenal consciousness needs to be reconsidered in light of current neuroscientific evidence. We conclude by proposing a neural algorithmic approach for deciphering whether organisms are capable of subjective experience.